Diary of a Withered Cherry Blossom
by LunarEclipse1989
Summary: Naruto is dead. The Nine-tails has disappeared, laying the road to victory open for the Akatsuki. The numbers of resisting survivors are dwindling. Among this, Sakura Haruno has found love, and she'll do anything to keep it... but at what price?
1. Ch 1, Chaotic First Impressions

Hello. My name is Sakura Haruno. I will be one of the lucky ones to have survived to see 28 years. My world is… not something you would like. The Akatsuki destroyed it. There was no hero; no one to stand in their way and really fight. They rose with next to no resistance, and crushed those that were foolish enough to resist. One by one… the great villages fell, leaving only mine behind. I work in the hospital as a medical ninja, healing up the aftermath of the destruction, and carrying a vast secret. I work for them. Call me what you wish, but it was the only way I could see to save my family… I work for them, and they let my son live. Besides, killing me would be useless. I'm the only medical ninja left with any amount of real skill. My tutor was a legend, and so I have risen to the same level. I invented the poison chakra nature, and passed the Kekkei Genkai to my son. Who was his father? Well…

_Screaming entered the Pinkette's ears as she regained consciousness. Feeling groggy, she sat up and looked around, to find her vision clouded with crimson. Placing a hand on her forehead, she pulled it away and found it covered in blood. What had she hit? Oh yeah. The wall surrounding Konohagakure had been blasted apart and she'd been hit in the head by a flying bit of rubble. Around her, the village was on fire and among the fighting hordes she saw a small amount of men standing around wearing black cloaks, red clouds patterned into the fabric. The Akatsuki had come. The last of the resistance was being squashed and she was in the thick of the fighting._

_Suddenly, a black shadow stretched across her torso, and she looked up, her head pounding, to see a man standing over her. He was wearing khaki cargo pants, and a blue shirt with mesh sleeves and collar. A strange metal necklace hung around his neck, and around his waist was what looked like the tattered remains of a black cloak. He had on a forehead protector which bore the hidden leaf village symbol, but it was crossed out. He was definitely an Akatsuki member. His ebony black hair was tied back into a loose ponytail, and his eyes gleamed blood red in the firelight. Was it the sharingan? Was this…?_

"_Are you alright?" The question was so unexpected that she sat, blinking up at him for a moment before she realized that his lips had moved and he was, in fact, speaking to her. However, his tone of voice was so cold, it matched the icy gleam in his eyes, and she wondered what his intention was. "…Yes… I think so." She stumbled up to her feet, immediately swaying dangerously, as her head pounded in protest, and all of her thoughts were processed sluggishly… the man in front of her caught her from falling to the floor, by placing his hands on her shoulder. As she was lifted up and carried bridal style, she lost consciousness._

It's not like I don't WANT to tell you who Hetaka's father was. It's just that… the memory isn't exactly a welcome one. I don't know why I ever trusted that… well, anyways. This is my diary. Because the story has to be documented somehow… maybe when all of us are dead, and the control of the Akatsuki is over, this'll be the only means of find out the true story. Or maybe it'll just be an account of many… Whatever the case, this is what really happened. You see, when the fourth Hokage trapped the 9-tails within the body of his son, he had no idea that the son would then die as an infant. His loss is still felt. People who dream of redemption sit and wonder if things could have been different… had he survived. At least one good thing came of his death. The 9-tails went with him, thus destroying the Akatsuki's original goal of recreating the ten-tails Jinchurikki. A fleeting glimmer of light within this oppressed world…

_Sunlight falling onto the female's eyes woke her as she rolled over in her sleep. Letting out a groan, she rolled onto her stomach and grabbed the pillow beneath her head, placing it over her face to shield her eyes. She felt like she'd been hit by a bus, every muscle in her body ached, and her head was beginning to pound again. Wait a second, pillow? She didn't remember being in a bed when she'd lost consciousness. Where was she? Her eyes snapped open and she sat up in a rush. Her vision swam as dizziness overtook her head, and she realized she had bandages covering her forehead. She was in a hospital room, but it wasn't one she recognized. It wasn't one of the standard rooms of the Konoha hospital, and she would know- she knew that building inside and out. The curtains over the window were black with a large red cloud stitched into the middle of the stretch of fabric. Akatsuki? What was she doing here?_

_The door opened and she turned to see who it was, on her guard instantly, even though she realized she was in no fit state to fight. A woman walked in, with a blue flower in her blue hair, and blue eyes narrowed as she saw that the patient was awake. She wore an Akatsuki cloak, and was carrying a basket full of fresh bandages in her hands. "You're awake." It was more of a statement, than a question. The pinkette nodded, this time, careful not to move her head too fast. "Who are you?" She asked, looking up at the woman as she unloaded the bandages and pulled up a chair. "My name is Konan." There was no murderous intent in the woman's voice as she said it. She seemed pleasant, for a member of the Akatsuki. "And you?"_

_There were several reasons for why she would want to ask this question, and all of them passed through the girl's head in a rush, causing her head to pound. "….H-haruno. Sakura Haruno." She felt no need to lie. It was better to be rewarded for telling the truth, than to get punished for trying to deceive her caretaker, no matter who they were. "… How long have I been out?" She asked, her eyes trained on her hands resting enfolded in her lap. "2 weeks. You had us all worried. Our master wasn't sure you'd make it through, especially when we need your skills, Ms. Haruno." Of course. Why wouldn't they need her skills? She was one of the best medical ninja's left in the world. It was obvious why the Akatsuki wanted her. But… she had no intention of helping the men who had ripped her home apart._

_Sakura sat still as her head injury was seen to, and the bandages were changed. "You've had quite a lump for days. I'm surprised you're awake. The others will be glad of the good news." _Good news my ass. _The pinkette kept her thoughts to herself, however, and continued to study her hands. When Konan was done, she lay back down in bed and sighed as the woman got up to leave. "Try to get some rest. I'll see to it you're left alone until you're well enough to talk. Until then… dinner will be brought to you in 3 hours." The door shut behind her and Sakura was left to her own thoughts._

The five Kage's were the last ones to fall. The battle lasted for 5 days and 6 nights. It started as a siege that rocked the entire world, and ended as a blow to end all blows. The spirit of the people was destroyed… whatever was left of it, anyways. Before, we were a society of people trying to protect our families. Now it's either be strong, or get killed. The Akatsuki have won, anyone who pretends otherwise is fooling themselves. I know that there are still groups of ninja leading small rebellions, but each time they rise up, they're squashed flat soon enough. I can't tell them it's my fault. That I'M the one giving the Akatsuki the answers they need. If I did, I would lose everything… not that HE'D care, I'm sure…

"_What is your name?"_

"_Sakura Haruno."_

"_How old are you?"_

"…_17."_

"_What village are you from?"_

"…_."_

_Sakura glared up at the albino male questioning her. How DARE he just interrogate her without thinking? 3 more weeks had passed since she'd woken up in the Akatsuki hospital. She was sitting up in the hospital bed, the head wraps were replaced with a small bandage on her forehead, and her hair was brushed out, for once. It had grown down to the bottom of her shoulder blades in her time being bedridden. The male before her wore his blonde hair slicked back from his face, and his red eyes gleamed maliciously as he took in her weak form. Around him, three other people stood around the room. She now knew them all by name. On one side of the bed sat Konan. On the other, beside the albino, sat Kakuzu, his face was hidden by a scarf. In the corner, leaning against the window, and looking on with expressionless black eyes, stood Itachi Uchiha._

_Her silence obviously frustrated Hidan, for the albino's hand came into contact with her face before she could dodge it, and her head was twisted sideways with the force of the blow. "Answer me, you stupid whore!" He said with a growl in his voice. "Hidan!" Konan cried, looking horrorstruck at the show of violence against her well-taken-care-of patient. The pinkette sat there, her face turned to the side, her long hair falling into her eyes, hiding the fact that she was fighting back tears for the stinging pain in her cheek. "….Konoha…" She muttered, trying to keep the sheer rage from entering her voice. Her hands were shaking, though it could be mistaken as fear, and not fury, that was the cause. Konan, clearly misunderstanding, reached over and grasped Sakura's shoulder reassuringly. Sakura was grateful for the gesture, and it helped to calm her down. Over time, the two had become like friends. At least Konan seemed to understand what it was like to be in Sakura's position._

_The interrogation went on for over an hour. Hidan seemed to want to know everything about her, and left out no question, no matter how personal it was. When they finally left, Sakura lay in bed, feeling somewhat violated. She let her memories run through her head and was satisfied when she could remember everything about her life and her past thus far. Konan had made her see how close she'd come to having amnesia, or being in a coma for months… head injuries were no laughing matter. She was thankful she'd escaped terminal or permanent damage._

Why? Why didn't I run when I saw those black eyes narrow? Why didn't I ignore the way he looked at Hidan after he slapped me? Why did I have to notice him at all? If I'd never seen his face…. I wouldn't have to betray everyone's trust in me now… Was it fate? If it is, what did I do? What did I do to deserve such anguish? I don't know, but I suppose destiny was speeding me towards the role it had picked out for me, whether I liked it or not…

_Another two hours passing found Sakura dozing off. The sun had set, and she was feeling sleepy. A soft knock woke her up from her half dreams. "….Hello?" The door opened and in the soft light of the lamp standing on the bedside table, she could see a dark figure moving into the room. There was a soft click as the door was closed, and then locked. Instantly, Sakura was on her guard. She felt the back of her neck tingle as she saw who it was that had decided to visit her at 10:30 at night. His black, cold eyes stared at her as he removed the band from his long ebony hair, and his forehead protector, Itachi moved slowly to sit in a chair by her bed. "What do YOU want?" She asked him, making no attempt to stem the hostility in her voice. Itachi let out a mirthless chuckle. "….I want you."_


	2. Ch 2, Pleasant Surprise

_A few moments of stunned silence greeted these words. The female raised her eyebrows at him and looked shocked into silence. "….Excuse me?" She watched as Itachi fixed her with his expressionless eyes. "It's true." There was no hint of commitment to his words, and yet something in his voice made her want to believe him. "…. You're crazy." She said, denying her heart the option of falling for this jerk. The male smirked. "Come now… I see the way you look at me whenever I come in to check to see how you're doing." He said. It was meant to tease her, and yet there was no amusement in his tone. It was as if his heart had frozen over, void of all emotion. Then again, you had to be pretty cold-hearted in order to kill your entire family, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, parents… even your lover. Remembering this, she forced herself not to be fooled by his alluring, mysterious charm._

_However, what she was forcing herself to remember seemed to be the downfall of a century. The male seemed to have other ideas, and she wasn't letting herself want the same ideas. _He's an Akatsuki. You can't trust him. He's a murderer, don't trust him. Please don't trust him. Don't look into his eyes… oh god, please no…. _Itachi shifted his position to sit on the edge of the bed, and as he leaned in towards her, she felt both her mind, and her heart racing. His advance stopped when their noses were an inch apart. She felt his breath fall onto her chest as he breathed through his nose. His dark eyes seemed to captivate her. She felt as though she were staring into the eyes of an adder, and knowing it was about to strike soon… death was coming, she was sure of it. "…. That's not what your eyes are saying." He whispered, his deep voice held a husky quality at the pianissimo level of his tones. Then, before she could do much more than receive the words he'd spoken into her mind to process the meaning, his lips pressed against hers._

_The sudden rush of sensation that overwhelmed her brain took her to new heights of amazement. Gods be damned, Itachi was the champion of kissers. His lips graced against hers in a direct, demanding fashion. He was a man that saw what he wanted, and wouldn't stop until he achieved his wants. There was an underlying sweetness to the motion as well, portraying a deep romantic side that was bubbling within the shadows. _Don't…. fall…. for it….. _She tried, she really did. At first, she tried to push him away, but he only wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. After a long moment, Sakura felt the need to breath was too demanding to ignore, and she felt he needed to do the same. So their lips broke contact, and his heated breath fell onto her neck in pants as he paused in their passion. Sakura's rational mind was recollecting itself. She was regrouping. She needed to think, to clear her head, to process what exactly was happening between them. She wanted to say something, and she opened her mouth, but her tongue wouldn't cooperate with her mind. "…. Wow," was all she was able to say._

_Chuckling, Itachi moved to kiss her neck. The pinkette let out a squeal as he discovered a soft spot even SHE had not known about. Electric tingles shot like lightning down her spine, turned what little resistance she had left to his charms, to absolute mush. Her arms were shaking and her calves were twitching involuntarily from the sensation. A funny little tightening sensation began to make its presence known to her as it made her lower abdomen feel funny. The muscles within her core tightened, causing a shiver to run down her spine. The pink haired female felt her back arch forwards in response to this predicament she'd found herself in._

_Male lips graced the line of her jugular vein as she felt her mind clouding, her thoughts suddenly only able to focus on one thing. Him. The way his hair felt, brushing against her face, and when he gently laid her back against the soft pillows, how his cold hands gently graced her hipline with his fingertips. In all the passion and sudden heat, she was suddenly finding herself attempting NOT to pay attention to the little voice in her head that was telling her to stop. She didn't want to stop. She'd never been touched like this before. It felt good. The voice got insistently louder, until, when Itachi began to run his hands up under her night dress, and touch the bare skin of her innermost thighs with his fingers, the voice grew into an alarmed scream. What the hell? She didn't really know him? Why was she allowing him to touch her in ways no respectable woman ought to be touched?_

_Raven seemed to sense a change in his feminine companion, as he stopped kissing along her collarbone to look up at her face. "…what is it?" He asked, tone describing his own arousal, which needed no second telling as she could FEEL the evidence of that pressing against her thigh. Then she felt his fingertips grace the outer layer of cloth that made up her panties. Without thinking about it, her arm reacted instinctively. The muscles reflexed and a resounding smack echoed about the room as her hand came into sharp contact with Itachi's left cheek. Utter surprise startled the raven from his passionate haze as his face was wrenched to the side by the flat side of Sakura's right hand. Itachi was so shocked by the sudden show of violence that he lay there blinking for a moment. "….."_

_The female blushed deeply as she realized what she'd done and she sat up, looking down at him. "Itachi… I don't know anything about you. You saved my life during that war… but at what price? Are you only using me for whatever purpose you have in mind? I'm not sure if you are or not, and until I can be sure, I don't want to do something I might regret. When we know each other better, maybe it might happen, but not now. Not tonight. Not for a while." She watched as the male before her nodded a little, still looking stunned into silence, as he sat up and got to his feet. "I can understand that… I'm sorry, I let my needs take control of my senses. It won't happen again." He then left, without another word, leaving Sakura somewhat surprised that it had been that easy to fend him off._

Did I fall in love with him then and there? No. Maybe? I don't know. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for what was to come in the next month. Itachi and I began to spend more and more time together. For about a week there, I nearly forgot all about his history to the calm, confidant, sensitive man he'd let me believe he was. But…. You have to have ice in your veins… to do what he did… and I took that for granted. I was naïve, and I allowed him to twist my view on the world. He made me believe that the Akatsuki weren't the bad guys, and that what they were doing was for the greater good. Then again, I suppose their ideals weren't all that bad…. Our former world was a world based on false peace. We were living lives of illusion, based on the fixed tension between our neighboring villages, instead of working together, like we should have been.

The Akatsuki are out to destroy that delusional life that we've all built up around ourselves. The thing I don't agree with is their methods. People shouldn't have to die in order to gain true peace. Peace shouldn't be something you have to earn. We all have a right to finding true happiness. Perhaps this is putting us on the right track to finding the balance between the two? Perhaps….


	3. Ch 3, Desception's Commencement

_A breeze blew through the opened window and tossed itself playfully against strands of pink hair as the owner of said hair sat at a table, pouring over a book she'd never read before. She had exchanged a room in the infirmary for a room of her own within the Akatsuki headquarters. Of course, she wasn't allowed to leave just yet, they were milking her for as much information as they could glean, and she didn't really appreciate being treated as though her value as a person was decreasing with every tidbit of information she gave. She tried not to show it, but the uncertainty of her near future terrified her. When her usefulness to the Akatsuki ran out…. What would they do to her? Would she be killed?_

_To her great surprise, Itachi had actually risen as the one who understood her fears the most. He had turned into the only person she could trust in a group full of thieves. Apparently, there was a lot about the Raven than she had not known, nor had she cared to find out until now. Spending time around him, when it was just the two of them together, he was a rather fun, kind person, with a heart for peace. Was this really the same man that had murdered his entire clan? It couldn't be… and yet…. And yet something told her that it was in fact the same man, and that there was an underlying reason for what he had done. Perhaps his place in Akatsuki was a way of paying penance for what he'd done. _

_Whatever the reasons, she found herself willing to trust and love him, despite the betrayal it would be to her own loyalties. These days found the female torn between what her mind was telling her, and what she knew in her heart. It wasn't an easy place to be. To top it off, she was now being forced to heal the wounds of her enemy. Every time she was faced with an injury to heal, she did her job… all the while feeling like another black thorn was being pushed into her heart. Itachi had become her only solace, and she didn't think it would last._

_That day was bright, balmy, and warm. A sharp contrast to her inner turmoil- Spring was well underway. Sakura was sitting on a bench inside of the Zen Garden that made up a sort of courtyard in the middle of the Akatsuki headquarters. It was beautiful. Pure white sand was raked into patterned ridges, large rocks were positioned around, as meditation perches, and thinking stools. A koi pond decorated with lilies took up the left corner, and over it, a large cherry tree grew, spreading its blossoms all over the garden. It was Sakura's favorite place, and she thought it was beautiful. As she sat, looking into the pond as her own reflection and admiring the slight scar that was all that remained of her head injury, she noticed light footsteps walking down one of the wooden hallways that ran passed the garden. Looking up, she saw Konan approaching her. The older woman stopped when she noticed Sakura sitting on the bench and came over to sit beside her._

_Truth be told, Konan was a bit jealous of Sakura. The cobalt femme had only ever spent most of her entire life around these men, and had been after Itachi's affections for years… and yet, here this bitch comes in, and swipes him right out from under her nose, in less than a week. On top of that, she thought Sakura acted as if she didn't even really WANT his affections. It was infuriating, that's what it was. However, she had been ordered, by Nagato himself, to keep quiet about how she felt, and just focus on making her feel welcome so that Sakura would want to join their side. She hated to admit it, but he had a point- Sakura's medical skills would come in handy when the time came. They wanted to keep the girl on their side, and snapping at her because of Itachi was no way to achieve that._

_Although…. Being nice, and telling the truth were two very different things. Smirking slightly, Konan sat beside her "friend" and gave her a convincingly sweet smile. "Hello, Sakura. Where's Itachi?" She asked, looking both left and right, pointedly. Sakura smiled back. "He's on a mission with Kisame. He said he'd be gone for 5 days at the latest." Konan smiled, appearing thoughtful. A moment of silence stretched between them, broken only by the constant splashing of the spring of water in the koi pond. At length, Konan turned back to Sakura, again with that sweet smile. "Hey, um… Sakura… have you two…. You know…. DONE anything yet?" Blushing, Sakura shook her head. "Oh, well, that's good." Konan sighed in relief. Her curiosity peaked, Sakura tilted her head. "… Why?" Konan giggled, before giving her a tragic look. "You have to SWEAR you won't tell ANYONE I told you, okay?" The pinkette raised an eyebrow. "…Oookay?"_

_Konan looked both ways before she leaned in close to Sakura's ear and whispered "He has Genital Warts. Not that I know from experience, but I saw him naked once by accident. There was this big gross one right on the head of his… you know…" Sakura looked both disgusted and perplexed. "He never told me that!" her friend let out another giggle. "Well, he wouldn't, would he? It's not something he'd want to spread around, right?" Standing up, she stretched luxuriously, the morning sunlight gleaming off her blue hair. Sakura found herself nodding in agreement as she watched the older woman walk away. Turning back to the koi pond, she wasn't able to see the sly smirk on Konan's face as she walked away._

I know what you're thinking. Was it really that easy? Yes. Yes, it was. Konan had done her job well. I never suspected her until it was too late. Her lie worked its way into my mind, worming through my thoughts, and tainting my love with doubt. Suddenly the air I'd been walking on felt turbulent and dangerous, as if I would plummet to the ground at any moment. The worst of it was, with Itachi gone for 5 days, I had no way of knowing really, whether what she'd said was true or not. Five days of insecurity nagging at my own mind, waiting, and wondering… it nearly killed me. Not literally, but still. When Itachi came back I was a complete emotional train wreck. Naturally, Itachi was concerned, but for all his trying, he couldn't figure out what was wrong with me.

_Spring had blossomed into summer. The cherry tree has shed all of its blossoms for budding fruit and full leaves. The summer heat was causing everything to be green, the flower beds were thriving, and thanks to the sun, the sand was impossible to cross barefoot. Once again, Sakura was to be found sitting on the bench, but this time, she had Itachi sitting next to her. The raven was holding her hands in his, and for once, his expressionless eyes were not cold and distant. He seemed forlorn, almost pleading. Itachi had not been having a good time with this new change to his lover's attitude. She was so up and down lately. What had changed? It was a constant puzzle that refused to leave him alone. She hadn't let them make out for weeks, ever since he came home from his mission. It was a puzzle he hoped to solve today._

_He had noticed how Konan had been eyeing him lately, and wondered if she had anything to do with the change in Sakura's behavior. If she did, he would need to rectify whatever she had done right away. "….Sakura?" he whispered, rubbing his thumbs against her fingers gently. Sakura, who felt somewhat calm at the moment, looked up at him when he said her name. "… Yes?" She watched the male take a deep breath and look to the side, and back at her before he spoke again. "I don't…. know exactly how to tell you this… I've only ever said it to one other woman, and I killed her." Sakura raised both eyebrows and leaned forwards a bit. "….Yes?"_

_Itachi looked down at their hands intertwined for a moment, thinking for a moment before he looked back up into her eyes through his bangs and gave her a soft smile. "... Haruno, Sakura... I love you." The female's heart began to race as her thought activity ground to a total, complete halt. When he'd told her to meet him in the garden because he had something important to tell her, she had expected the worst. Not this. Whatever she had set herself up for, could never have prepared her for this. For a moment, she stared at him blankly, not sure of what to say, and then she let out a squeal of delight and flung herself at him. She was kissing him more passionately than she had in weeks, and Itachi responded vigorously. They fell off the bench and landed together with a soft thump, where more playful, affectionate fun was had…_

_In one of the walls surrounding the garden, was a window, boarded over with shutters. Behind this window, stood Kisame with his ear pressed to a glass that he was holding against the wood paneling of the shutters. Behind him, stood Hidan, Deidara, and Sasori. "…. He just confessed his love for her." Kisame said, with a wicked grin. Deidara punched the air and held his hand out to Hidan. "Hah! Pay up!" grumbling, the silver-haired albino forked over 600 Ryo to Deidara. "It sounds like… they just fell off the bench…. They're making out." Kisame continued, waving a hand behind him for silence. With a smug smile, Sasori snatched the money from Deidara and pocketed it. "I'll be taking that." He said. The blonde's jaw dropped. "Hey! No fair, I won!" Sasori chuckled. "Actually, you bet that he would confess his feelings, I bet that he would also get lucky. I win." Deidara crossed his arms and pouted. "Damn it."_

However much I love him back… I just couldn't say it out loud to his face. Even now, I don't understand what the problem was. I was head-over-heels for him but I just couldn't put a voice to my thoughts. Everytime I tried, I choked up. It was like. Even though I thought I felt it… I didn't feel it in my heart enough to say it, and thus, I kept my silence on the matter. Maybe that was the first mistake responsible for what was to come…..


End file.
